Two face drug charges
STEVE MROSS
The Sentinel-Record
Suspicious activity on the part of the occupants of a pickup who allegedly kept dodging a Garland County Sheriff’s deputy late Thursday eventually led to the arrest of two suspects early Friday on felony drug charges.
Larry James Speaker, 46, who lists an address of 5600 Airport Road, No. 16, and Lloyd Emerson Palmer II, 46, who lists an address of 302 Stella St., were both taken into custody shortly after 12 a.m. Friday and each charged with possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years.
Speaker, who is reportedly on parole from a 2012 conviction in Texas, and Palmer were both later released on $7,500 bond and are set to appear Dec. 17 in Garland County District Court.
According to reports, around 10 p.m. Thursday, GCSD Deputy Matthew Wharton was patrolling on Rockefeller Road near Bull Bayou Road when he spotted a silver 2001 Toyota Avalon traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Bull Bayou. By the time he caught up to it, it was parked at a trailer park in the 1000 block of Bull Bayou.
About an hour later, Wharton again spotted the Toyota eastbound on Albert Pike and attempted to catch up to it as it turned into the EZ Mart at Summer and Hobson and the two occupants got out and were watching his unit “very closely.”
About 15 minutes later, he saw the vehicle again traveling east on Hobson at a high rate of speed and then turn onto Third Street. He located it parked at a vacant residence at 610 Third and noted one occupant sitting in the dark beside the residence.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Speaker, and asked what he was doing at the residence, why he was speeding earlier and trying to evade him and where his passenger was located. At that point, a Hot Springs police officer arrived to assist the deputy.
Speaker reportedly denied trying to evade Wharton and that the passenger, later identified as Palmer, was back at the residence “seeing his girlfriend.” At that point, a resident of a neighboring house stated a white male had just run through his front yard toward the back of a residence at 604 Third.
Wharton went to check as the HSPD officer stayed with Speaker and soon located Palmer hiding behind a storage shed. He escorted him back to where the others were while searching the area for anything the suspects may have dropped.
The deputy located a black zippered bag at the rear corner of the vacant residence, which contained a glass smoking pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue, three unused baggies, digital scales and six baggies containing approximately four grams of meth. He also found three baggies with meth residue near the driver’s side of the suspects’ car.
Speaker reportedly told Wharton that Palmer had been behind the residence where the bag was found, but Wharton noted he had seen Speaker about 15 yards from the bag. Neither of the suspects claimed ownership or the bag or any of the other items found. Wharton noted none of the items had frost on them or were cold even though it was 30 degrees.
Both suspects were taken into custody and charged without incident and the vehicle was towed.
